


The Vanishing Island

by AXEe



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/F, Gen, Jungle queen Astra, Lost Civilization, Max will get what's coming to him
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2019-05-20 02:27:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14885871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AXEe/pseuds/AXEe
Summary: At the dawn of the 20th century, famed explorer Jeremiah Danvers disappeared on an expedition to find a lost civilization on a recently discovered island in the Pacific Ocean.   Refusing to believe that he was dead, his daughter, Alex, mounted an expedition to rescue.   What she found was far more incredible than just her father or a lost civilization...





	1. The Lost Island

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, anybody remember those old movie serials? Like the ones which inspired Indiana Jones? Well I do! So prepare for thrills! Chills! Cliffhangers! And General Danvers!
> 
> Enjoy! :=)

******

****

**FAMED EXPLORER JEREMIAH DANVERS MISSING, PRESUMED DEAD**

The famed explorer, Jeremiah Danvers, was declared dead this morning after the wreckage from the ship he was traveling on washed ashore in Hawaii. Dr. Danvers, recently shunned by the wider scientific community, was on a self-funded expedition to return to a so-called ‘vanishing island’ that Dr. Danvers claimed to discover two years previously. The island is rumored to appear and disappear in the South Pacific.

Despite the ridicule his theories have incurred from the rest of academia, Dr. Danvers remained convinced of his discovery and had set out on a self-funded expedition to rediscover the island. He leaves behind a daughter, Alexandra Danvers, and his wife, Eliza, to mourn his passing

******

**1906…**

Alexandra Danvers angrily threw open the door of the National City Museum of Natural History

“Ms. Danvers, please!” the guard begged as he hurried after her “madam! The board is in a meeting! Ma’am! They won’t listen to you! Ma’am?!”

Ignoring the guard, Alex determinedly marched up the stairs and brushed past the door marked ‘OUT OF BOUNDS MUSEUM STAFF ONLY’, emerging in a long, ornate hallway, just as the members of the board were exiting the boardroom

“Mr. Harcourt!” she bellowed

“Oh, not you again! Ms. Danvers, this museum funds expeditions based upon facts! Not fantasy!” Mr. Harcourt snarled “I understand that losing your father was quite the shock, but we will allow a woman to risk her life over some ridiculous theory!” he jammed his hat upon his head “good day, madam!”

Grinding her teeth, Alex felt the fight leave her. Sighing in resignation and defeat, she trudged back through the museum’s lobby

“Ms. Danvers?”

She turned at the voice, finding a young colored woman standing by the door. The woman held out a hand

“My name is Megan, I represent Hank Henshaw,” she introduced herself “Mr. Henshaw has a proposition for you…”

******

The car swung along a winding mountain road towards an imposing Gothic mansion perched atop a cliff face

“Inside, please,” the mysterious ‘Megan’ instructed as she led Alex inside, down a long, ornate corridor towards a set of equally ornate double doors “Mr. Henshaw’s waiting for you” Megan explained as she gently led Alex through the doors, shutting them after her.

Leaving Alex alone in a darkened room.

Looking around, she found that she was in a library of some sort, bookcases stretched from the floor to the ceiling, covering almost every wall, expect for fireplace, over hung a portrait of a tall, broad-chested black whom she assumed was Mr. Henshaw standing arm in arm with…

“Dad?”

“One of the best men I ever met,”

Startled, Alex turned to see the same man as in the portrait stepping through a side door

“I’m sorry for the theatrics, Ms. Danvers,” he smiled as he shook her hand “but if the papers get word of my involvement in your expedition, they’d descend on you like the plague”

“My…expedition?” Alex repeated “I’m sorry,” she shook her head “but…who are you, exactly?”

The man chuckled

“Forgive me; I’m getting ahead of myself. My name is ‘Hank Henshaw’,” he introduced himself as he gestured to for her to sit down opposite him in front of the fire “don’t be worried, if you haven’t heard of me,” he assured her “not too many people have, I like my privacy,” he leaned forward “now, to make a long story short, I’d like to help you find your father”

“Why?” Alex asked “I mean, not I’m not grateful for your offer, but…why?”

Hank Henshaw sighed as he leaned forward

“You’re too young to remember this, but…several years ago, your father saved my life,” he explained “it was a debt I can never fully repay, but I’m damn well going to try. I’d like to fund your rescue mission, Ms. Danvers”

“Just like that?” Alex asked skeptically

“Just like that,” Hank nodded “I’ll be coming with you, of course. But aside from that…you’ll be the expedition leader”

“Wha—when do we leave?” Alex stammered out

“When do you want to leave?”

Alex frowned as she studied this man. He seemed to be genuinely sincere

“Tomorrow” she stated

Hank nodded

“Tomorrow it is”


	2. Setting Sail

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Two! :=)

******

The docks were crowded; people bustled to and fro in a heady sea of humanity.

Alex set down her rucksack and took a nervous breath as she looked up at the steamer that was to take them to the coordinates that Jeremiah had laid out in his journal. She glanced at the small, worn notebook in her hands, before quickly tucking it away in her pocket as Hank approached

“Ms. Danvers!”

“Mr. Henshaw,” she shook his hand warmly “I’m amazed at how quickly you were able to organize all of this” she remarked

“You’d be surprised what money can do” he chuckled

“Mr. Henshaw!”

“Ah, Alex,” Hank turned to the man approaching them “this is Maxwell Lord, he’s the captain of the _Black Mercy_ ”

“Don’t let the name fool you,” Captain Lord laughed as he shook her hand “she’s a good, sturdy ship” he explained as he shook her hand. Alex inwardly cringed, there was something in this man’s touch, in his eyes, his far-too wide smile that made her think of some kind of predator. This was a man who cared only for himself and his own gratification.

“That’s good to hear” she managed to say

Maxwell Lord smiled again

“Of course,” he nodded “Mr. Henshaw”

“Captian,” Hank nodded politely as Captain Lord began to rally his crew to cast off. Alex frowned when Hank suddenly grabbed her arm, pulling her close “be very careful around him,” he warned “he agreed to take us _far too_ easily”

Alex frowned

“You think that he has an ulterior motive?” she wondered

“I don’t know,” Hank admitted “but I don’t trust him”

“Yeah,” Alex agreed slowly “neither do I…”

******

The _Black Mercy_ cast off with little ceremony or fanfare and within the hour was well underway. It was a small ship, yet rather opulently furnished, Alex’s own cabin, while small, had walls made of some of the finest hardwood available. Recalling Hank’s words, she unpacked her suitcase, stopping at a medium-sized pouch that she didn’t recall packing.

Cautiously opening it, she recoiled at the image of a revolver now resting atop her clothes. Tied to the weapon was a note in Hank’s handwriting

_For your protection_

It read. Frowning, Alex hesitated before picking it up and placing in her pocket…

******

For the next two days, their voyage was uneventful, with fair skies and calm weather, and Alex spent most of that time pouring over Jeremiah’s extensive notes on the island with Hank, tracing out a possible landing area, as well as a route inland from the beach, and avoiding Maxwell Lord and most of the crew. Hank had been right to be suspicious it seemed, with each passing day, the captain’s focus on her seemed to shift from overtly friendly to…sinister, his mannerisms and speech seemed to be laden with double meanings, and every time she talked to him Alex found herself unconsciously putting a hand in her pocket, her fingers curling around the butt of the revolver.

She had no prior experience with firearms, in fact she distrusted them and people who liked them, but she also trusted her instincts, and kept the weapon close at hand and Maxwell Lord at arms length.

On the fourth day of their voyage was when everything changed…

******

Alex awoke to a crash of thunder. Jerking up in her bunk, she blinked as the world suddenly began listing, her sleep-addled brain needing to a minute to realize that it was the _ship_ that was listing.

Throwing off the covers, she exited her cabin, seeing Hank doing the same

“What’s going on?” she asked

“Looks like a storm” Hank reasoned as lightning flashed outside

“No,” Alex realized “this isn’t just a storm,” she hurried back into her cabin, hunting for the notebook “what? No, no, no, no! Hank!”

“What is it?!” Hank hurried inside the cabin

“My father’s notebook! It’s gone!” Alex exclaimed

“Lord!” Hank snarled

“The bastard!” Alex charged after Hank towards the bridge “Lord!” she snarled as they burst into the small room. A familiar object instantly catching Alex’s eye “you thief!” she hissed, lunging for the book, only for Lord to painfully grip her arm, shoving her back towards the wall, where Hank thankfully caught her

“Scientists,” the captain scoffed “notes and numbers, ha!” he held up the book “your father makes only a passing reference to the riches this island of his holds. Imagine it, an island that disappears every few centuries, filled to the brim with untold riches”

“Or untold dangers,” Hank snarled “you’re a fool, Lord!” he spat

“So are you, Henshaw!” Lord countered “think of it, man! The wealth of this island would make the richest man in the world look like a pauper! And it’s all ours for the taking!”

“Captain!” the helmsman called out frantically “rocks, Captain! Rocks!”

The three turned, gapping through the rain soaked glass to see massive, jagged spears of rock suddenly loom out of the water to bear down on the small ship

“Turn! Turn!” Lord cried 

“ _TOO LATE!!_ ”

The ship shuddered violently. Alex felt herself being flung forward and then darkness enveloped her….


	3. Shipwrecked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter THREE! :=)

******

Alex wretched, coughing and gasping for air, she spat out a mouthful of water as she struggled to sit up, the wet sand slipping and sliding beneath her. Still coughing, she tried to piece together what had happened as she lay in the wet sand panting for breath. Right, they’d crashed into the rocks. Struggling onto hands and knees, she looked over her surroundings.

She was a rocky beach, tall, jagged cliffs stretched as high as the eye could see before her, while behind her, the surf lapped at her legs. Groaning, she weakly managed to roll onto her back and looked out over the water, seeing a veritable wall of cloud and lightning at least a mile out, and yet…she looked up, seeing nothing but clear sky above her.

Too dizzy and in pain to try and puzzle this new conundrum out, she weakly stood up, stumbling and staggering into the water as several pieces of wreckage floated by. Alex shivered as she looked around the small beach, seeing no one else besides her on the beach. Could she be the only survivor? No, impossible, the law of averages said that there had to be at least a few more survivors left.

She gasped as she suddenly remembered something. Max! Her father’s notes! The notebook!

“No, no!” gasping, she frantically charged into the surf, searching for any trace of the notebook, but finding only a few pieces of wood and metal from the wreckage. No notebook, no map, no compass, no food, nothing, only the clothes on her back. Taking a breath, Alex began to drag anything that looked even halfway usable ashore and, as the mid-afternoon sun began to sink low on the horizon, began to inventory what she’d found.

There was a crate containing an extra change of clothes, which she’d quickly changed into. They were a man’s clothes, but they fit her more or less, the shirt sleeves needing to be rolled up somewhat, but it fit and—more importantly—it was mostly dry. The accompanying boots were a little loose, but fit well enough that she could wear them without risk of tripping and breaking an ankle, her own boots were too impractical to wear while traipsing around uneven terrain and were quickly—and somewhat eagerly—discarded

The crate also contained a compass, a lantern—broken, of course—and a gun. Studying the revolver and the accompanying ammunition belt, she shrugged and put them on, finding a wide-brimmed hat at the very bottom of the crate.

Another crate held a few waterlogged, but intact, pieces of fruit, which she’d quickly filled a small rucksack with as she dried the rest of the supplies, finding a small telescope and some extra ammunition, but no tent or other form of shelter. As the sun continued to set, the wind picked up, howling and whistling eerily through the rock walls surrounding her. Frowning, Alex studied the rocks, wondering if perhaps there was a natural hollow or cave somewhere within them.

Getting to her feet, she clambered up and over the rocks, being careful where she put her hands, lest she cut them. She paused as the wind moaned and howled, a raspy breathing like sound making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up on end as she slowly turned to face a small narrow opening in the rocks.

It was far too small for her to stand up in, but she might be able to crawl through. An icy blast of wind made up her mind for her and, grabbing the rest of the supplies, she thrust them all into the rucksack, thrust the rucksack in ahead of her and crawled through the opening on her belly.

The opening was extremely small, and as she crawled through she worried that she might become stuck, and stuck she did become every so often, her clothing catching on a rock. Refusing to panic, she would pause and gently free herself, before starting again.

She wasn’t sure how long she crawled, probably no more than a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity. But then, the space opened up, she could feel a gentle breeze on her face, perfumed with some sweet, exotic scent. Edging forward, she found that the small space opened up onto a large verdant valley, here the sun had yet to set and Alex took a moment to stand there in silent awe of what she was seeing.

The island. Jeremiah’s mysterious vanishing island. She’d not only found it, she was standing on it!

Looking around, she watched as brightly colored insects darted to and fro among large, brightly colored flowers. Everything looked so vibrant and full of life, so unlike the beach she had just came from, which was grey and hard and cold. A tinny trumpeting sound startled her, and spinning around, she stopped and looked down, laughing slightly at what she saw.

An elephant stood behind her, fully grown, the only difference between it and the beasts that wandered the plains of Africa was that it barely came up to her knee

“Hello there,” crouching down, she tentatively scooped up the tiny pachyderm, finding that it weighed no more than her mother’s cat, as its trunk wound around her arm “where did you come from?” she wondered, her mind already recalling theory of island dwarfism, large animals became small, and small animals became large due to difference in available resources.

Setting the pint-sized pachyderm down, she looked around the valley, taking a few steps forward, the elephant following her, trundling behind, seemingly content to follow her.

Alex suddenly tensed at a sudden rustling in the trees, gasping as a _spear_ suddenly whooshed through the air to strike the tree trunk nearest to her, causing Alex to stumble back, falling flat onto her back as she scurried away.

A dark figure suddenly, silently, dropped down from the tree up above. As they approached, Alex felt her stomach drop away. It was a woman, tall and lithe, with long, slightly matted dark hair with a streak of white through it, and the most striking grey-green eyes. She was dressed in a similar fashion to Alex consisting of a pair of sturdy trousers, vest, and shirt, albeit much more tattered than Alex’s own outfit.

Confidently, the woman approached and calmly, easily, wrenched the spear free from the tree, leaning against it and smirking at Alex

“Now then,” she began in perfect English “what’s a little mouse like you doing in a place like this?”


	4. The Queen of the Jungle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter FOUR! Enjoy :=)

******

Alex stared at the woman before her, her mouth dry as she took in this strange vision before her

“Who…who are you?” she finally managed to ask

The spear’s point was suddenly at her throat

“I’ll ask the questions, thank you,” the woman stated as she assessed Alex “hmm, shipwrecked, were you?”

“Yes,” Alex panted out “please, I’m not a threat; I’m just looking for my father” she exclaimed

The spear was withdrawn, its owner chuckling

“Now, did I say that you were a threat?” she idly slung the spear across her shoulders “come on,” she said as she began marching through the trees “you don’t want to be stuck out here at night” she called out.

Frantically getting to her feet, Alex quickly followed the other woman…

******

The woman led her through a thick jungle; their only companion was the elephant, who seemed to have developed an attachment to Alex, happily trundling after her, idly trumpeting every so often as Alex followed her mysterious guide through the rapidly-darkening jungle

“So, who are you?” she asked “how did you get here?”

“My name is Astra,” the woman introduced herself “and as for how I got here, I’d imagine that it was the same way as you did. Shipwreck”

“How long ago was that?” Alex wondered

“Several years ago,” Astra answered “there were three of us originally, but not anymore”

Alex paused

“So, you’re the only person on this island?” she breathed, stunned and horrified at the thought of this woman having survived on this island all by herself for years

Astra turned back to face her, chuckling

“I’m the only _Human_ on this island, if that’s what you mean,” she smirked “but there are other…people here. Although I use that term very loosely,” she nodded down the path they were on “don’t stray from the path” she warned before she continued on, Alex hurrying to follow her

“What about a rescue ship?” she called out “I didn’t anyone try to find your ship? Didn’t you try to signal for help?”

Astra laughed

“If case you didn’t notice, but there’s a massive hurricane surrounding this island,” she pointed out “the storm never dies down, it continues raging, unchanged, for day after day, year after year. There’s no way for anyone to find this island, much less see a cry for help”

“I found it,” Alex challenged “I went looking for it”

“Why would you do a fool thing like that?”

“I’m looking for my father”

Astra suddenly froze, before slowly turning to look back at Alex

“Jeremiah Danvers,” she breathed “you’re Jeremiah Danvers’ daughter?”

“You met him” Alex realized, Jeremiah’s desire to return to the island becoming abundantly clear. He hadn’t wanted to come back for the fortune and fame, but to rescue Astra

“Briefly,” the other woman nodded “I gave up my chance to escape this place to get him home”

“So, there is a way off” Alex reasoned

Astra grimaced darkly as she turned back to the path

“There was” she muttered…

******

Their trek soon led them to a tree house like structure, which seemed to be built from various bits of wreckage, probably from the remains of whatever ship that had brought Astra to this island, Alex could see fragments of lettering on some of the wood used to build the structure as she followed Astra up the rope ladder, her pint-sized pachyderm managing to follow her with surprising ease. Rather ingeniously, Astra had rigged up the ladder to work by counterweight pulley, a large tree stump acted as a counterweight, when dropped it drew the ladder up, preventing access, but when raised it dropped the ladder. The raising and lowering of the stump seemed to be achieved by means of a water-filled container of sorts at the top, although that worked Alex couldn’t decipher.

Reaching the top of the ladder, Alex found herself in a surprisingly spacious and well-furnished abode. There were chairs and tables, even a second level forming a sort of loft space. Clearly, Astra had not only survived on this island but had made a home for herself here.

“How long have you been here?” Alex wondered softly

“Twelve years, give or take” Astra answered

“And…all that time, you’ve been…by yourself?” Alex wondered

“Yes” was the bitter answer

“I’m sorry” Alex whispered, tentatively reaching out to place a comforting hand on the other woman’s shoulder, only to pull back at the withering glare Astra gave her

“You can sleep over there,” Astra nodded towards a hammock in a corner “tomorrow, at first light, we’ll go down the beach, see if anyone else survived” she explained

“Right” Alex nodded, at once unnerved and sorry for this woman. She was suddenly seized by the urge to help her, to comfort her, to take her with her away from this island and back to civilization and reunite her with any family she may have.

Crawling into the hammock, the elephant at her feet, she watched as Astra climbed the short staircase to the upper level, disappearing around a corner…

******

At that moment, on the beach, Hank Henshaw staggered from the surf, collapsing onto the wet sand, breathless and exhausted. Nearby, around an outcropping of rock, Maxwell Lord also staggered ashore, Jeremiah’s Danvers’ notebook still tightly clutched in one hand…


	5. Attack of the Birdmen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter FIVE!! Enjoy! :=)

******

Alex awoke to a loud crash. Jerking upright on the hammock, she kicked and flailed as a large creature suddenly just burst through one window

“Jesus!” she gasped out at the sight of the thing.

It was about the size of a man, slightly larger, and looked like some frightening cross between a man and a bird. Its large, piercing eyes framed a beak-like mouth as jet black feathers adorning its body glinted in the light, as limbs which were neither arm nor wing thrust into the narrow window frame, trying to reach her.

Long talon-like fingers attached to distinctly hand-like limbs began clawing at the wood as the creature squawked and shrieked as Astra suddenly dropped down behind it, lassoing a rope around its neck and left arm, yanking it back and viciously slamming its head into the tree’s trunk as it kicked and flailed, before finally going limp, croaking weakly as it lay there, injured but still alive.

“Are you all right?” Astra asked as she stepped through the window, easily hopping down next to Alex

“Yeah,” Alex panted out as she stared at the monstrosity before her “what…is it?”

“A Birdman,” Astra answered grimly “one of several races to inhabit the island, and the most vicious,” retrieving her spear, she thrust it at the creature’s throat “who are you?”

The ‘birdman’ looked up, its beak-like mouth spreading into a grin as it chuckled and laughed

“ _Birdmen find. Birdmen take,_ ” it rasped out. Its eyes narrowed at them “ _birdmen… **eat**_ ” it proclaimed as several large figures suddenly dropped down on the roof

“Grab the elephant” Astra ordered as a set of talon-like hands suddenly burst through the wood

“Birdmen eat! Birdmen eat! Birdmen eat!” the lone injured birdman crowed behind them as they dove down the ladder, the elephant tucked under one of Alex’s arms

“Go! Go!” Astra ordered as they charged through the thicket “get down! Get down!” she cried over the thunderous wing beats from up above “stay low! They can’t fly in thick foliage!” she grabbed at Alex’s waist “give me the gun!”

“What?! Oh” Alex awkwardly un-holstered the gun and thrust it at Astra, who quickly—expertly even—loaded and took aim, shooting several of the creatures as they swooped overhead

“Go! Go! Keep moving!”

******

Meanwhile, making his own way through the thicket, Hank Henshaw looked up at the sound of gunfire. Feeling his strength suddenly return, he charged through the thicket, following the sound, hoping and praying that it was Alex…

******

“ _TAKE!! EAT!!!_ ” one Birdman shirked as it circled up above “ _ **EAT! EAT! EAT! EAT! EAT! EAT!!**_ ” it commanded as the others of its flock dove down, talons raking across leaves and branches as they tried to grabbed the two women as Astra fired shot after shot

“I’m out!” she announced

“Here!” Alex frantically dug out six rounds from her belt and thrust them towards Astra, who squeezed off another shot as a large rock suddenly sailed through the air towards the birdmen

“Alex!”

“Hank?!” Alex turned “Hank! Get down!” she cried as a birdman swooped low, lunging for Hank

“Friend of yours?” Astra wondered idly “come on!” she grabbed Alex’s hand and pulled her along, grabbing Hank’s as they passed “come on! Come on!” she hissed as the birdmen gave chase, the three suddenly skidding to a stop at the edge of a large cliff overlooking a deep waterfall

“Alex” Astra panted out

Alex looked from Astra to the water below

“No” she moaned

“No choice!” Hank panted out “ _JUMP!_ ” he cried as they threw themselves off the cliff and plunged down into the water below…


	6. The Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter SIX! Enjoy! :=)

******

Alex spluttered and coughed as she surfaced, kicking against the strong current

“Hank! Astra!” she called out

“Here!” Astra called out as Alex saw Hank surface a few feet away. She looked up at a splash, watching as the Birdmen perched on the cliff’s edge and hurled down rocks and stones at them

“Don’t worry,” Astra panted out “they can’t swim, their feathers aren’t waterproof; they’ll drown if they try”

“Good to know” Alex panted out as the Birdmen shirked and crowed above them angrily but were otherwise rendered harmless as the current carried the three travelers further down stream…

******

The current evened out once they passed the next bend in the river, and the three travelers quickly pulled themselves to shore, tried and wet, but alive

“Well. That was fun,” Astra drawled “what’s next on your itinerary?”

“Ha-ha,” Alex deadpanned, groaning as she sat up “where are we?”

“Near the center of the island,” Astra answered “the so-called ‘midlands’,” she nodded at Hank “who’s he?”

“Hank Henshaw,” Alex panted out “Hank, meet Astra”

Astra tiredly held out a hand towards Hank

“Charmed”

“Likewise,” Hank grumbled. He glanced back at Alex “it seems that we have some catching up to do” he remarked as he looked past Alex, watching as the elephant trundled up to shore, shaking itself off before happily nuzzling up to Alex’s side…

******

After gathering their breath, the three travelers began to follow the course of the river from the shore, struggling through the thick, overgrown foliage

“So what else wanders around these parts besides the tiny elephants?” Hank wondered as they came a clearing

“Giant lizards,” Astra answered. She smirked at him “you asked,” she gestured to the pile of boulders they were currently standing amongst “see these boulders?”

“Ohh…don’t tell me…” Alex groaned

“Eggs” Astra nodded, just a loud _crack_ suddenly pierced the air

“…and they just started hatching” Alex groaned

“All right,” Astra nodded “very gently,” she instructed softly “no sudden movements or loud noises, all right?” both Alex and Hank nodded “all right, ready? And…go”

Carefully, moving like dancers, they began to weave their way through the large nest, the eggs trembling cracking all the while, their shells splintering with greater urgency

“Stop! Stop!” Astra hissed “nobody move” she ordered as a loud hissing sound suddenly broke the air. Slowly, almost as one, they all turned, gapping at the large, elephant-sized lizard now watching them closely

“Alex…” Astra began

“…get the elephant, I know” Alex nodded as she very slowly scooped up the pint-sized pachyderm

“Good lass,” Astra nodded as the lizard suddenly rose up onto its feet “ _RUN!!!_ ” Astra cried, the three of them scattering as the lizard suddenly charged, moving with a frightening amount of speed and agility through the nest, the eggs finally hatching, the hatchlings looking around curiously at the tiny creatures running past as their mother gave chase

“This way! This way!” Astra ordered, frantically climbing a rock wall “come on! Come on!” she urged as she took the elephant from Alex and then hauled the young woman up, Hank quickly following suit as the lizard hissed angrily, its tongue lashing out to taste the air as it sought another way to get at its prey

“Hey!”

A rock suddenly sailed through the air, striking the lizard in the eye. Hissing in pain, it quickly scurried off, apparently having decided that the three humans and one elephant weren’t worth the effort, especially as it had hatchlings to attend to.

All breathing a sigh of relief, the three turned towards the direction the rock had come from

“Well don’t just stand there,” Jeremiah Danvers laughed as he stepped out of the mist “you’re suppose to applaud!” he proclaimed…

******

Jeremiah led them through the jungle towards a tree house-like structure similar to Astra’s but nowhere near as opulent or well-appointed, Astra’s tree house had been a home of sorts, Jeremiah’s was merely shelter from predators and the elements

“Make yourselves at home,” he invited as the three climbed inside the small space, Alex embracing him the minute the trapdoor leading them inside shut “hey, come on, none of that” he admonished gently, even though he made no move to release her

“I thought…” Alex swallowed and shook her head, refusing to even voice her fears to their source

“I’m here,” Jeremiah chuckled as he finally pulled back “nice to see you again, Hank” he said, shaking hands with the other man

“Likewise,” Hank nodded “just wish we’d met again under better circumstances”

Jeremiah chuckled as he pulled away and turned to Astra, eagerly pulling her into a hug

“See? I told you I’d come back” he laughed

“Yes you did,” Astra noted as she pulled away “looks like I was wrong for doubting you”

“Looks like,” Jeremiah chuckled as he turned back to Alex “do you have my notebook on you?” he asked

“What? No,” Alex shook her head “the notebook went down with the ship” she explained

“It _what_?!?!” Jeremiah demanded…

******

At that same moment, unbeknownst to the three travelers, Maxwell Lord was using the very notebook in question to decipher a rock carving. Smirking to himself, he touched one of the symbols, pressing down until there was a faint _click_ , the entire rock wall sliding away to reveal a deep, dark cavern. Tucking the notebook into his pocket, Max entered the cavern, the chamber sealing behind him…


	7. The Legend of the Destroyer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter SEVEN! Enjoy! :=)

******

The notebook’s pages' fluttering were the only sound in the darkened cavern. The matchstick in Lord’s hand barely providing any light. But it was enough. Tracing his finger along a sketch, Max nodded to himself and began his journey…

******

Astra looked up, quickly edging past Alex and Jeremiah to lean out the trapdoor, frowning

“What is it?” Alex asked as Astra closed the trapdoor and sat back, frown deepening

“Something’s wrong,” she murmured with a confused shake of her head “there’s…something in the air, I can’t explain it”

“Alex,” Jeremiah gripped Alex by the shoulders “are you _absolutely_ certain that the notebook was destroyed?”

“What? No, I mean I didn’t _see_ it go overboard, but it must…” she trailed off as Jeremiah groaned

“What aren’t you telling us?” Astra wondered “Jeremiah?”

Jeremiah sighed and pulled a worn piece of paper out of his pocket, unfurling it to reveal it to be a map of the island

“When I first came here, I found something. A place,” he began “Astra’s been there. It’s a…temple of sorts, hidden deep in the jungle, here," he tapped the map "right in the center of the island,” he explained “the inscriptions on it are old, ancient, possibly older than any other civilization on Earth. But the writing system’s similar to ancient Greek, maybe even a root language”

“So you could read it” Hank guessed

Jeremiah nodded

“It said that the temple was home to an ancient race of travelers,” he began “they actually created this island, hid it, and used it to as a storehouse for dangerous artifacts”

“The temple holds things that the island’s builders couldn’t control,” Astra picked up “including, but not limited to, a way off. But one thing it holds is something which they called the ‘doomsday warrior’, some kind of…creature that could destroy whole continents”

“So, if someone else survived the shipwreck and has your notebook…” Hank began

“…then they could use it to find this ultimate destroyer,” Alex reasoned “but why? Why would they want to?”

“Money,” Hank growled out “I imagine that many governments would pay millions— _billions_ even—for the promise of a weapon that could destroy their enemies with ease”

“Lord,” Alex growled out “ _that’s_ why he stole the notebook in the first place”

“Who?” Jeremiah and Astra both asked

“He was the captain of the ship which brought us here,” Hank explained “just before the ship went down, he stole Jeremiah’s notebook from Alex’s cabin”

“So, he wants to find and capture this monstrosity, get off the island, and sell it to the highest bidder” Astra reasoned

“Looks like” Jeremiah sighed

“We need to stop him” Alex proclaimed

“She’s right,” Hank sighed “there’s no use in any of us trying to get off this island if there’s nothing to come back to”

“Agreed” Jeremiah nodded

They all looked over at Astra

“Oh…what the hell?” she finally sighed…

******

The cavern opened up, a wide, massive space. Breathing shakily, Lord gasped in fright as the match—his last one—suddenly went out, plunging the room into darkness. The only sounds in the darkness were the frantic beating of his heart and the distinct rasp of someone else breathing…

******

“I don’t understand,” Alex began as Hank and Jeremiah scrutinized the map in a corner “if you know that this temple is the way off, why haven’t you used it?”

Astra sighed as she leaned against her spear

“Every time the island moves, the landscape around the temple changes,” she explained tiredly “what was once a valley becomes a chasm, what was once a chasm becomes a lake, and so on and so on. And even if you could manage to cross the ever-changing landscape to the temple, the layout of the temple itself changes too, the way out, the ‘exit’ moves as the island moves each time, shifting and moving”

“I…,” Alex shook her head, helpless “I’m sorry,” she finally breathed “I guess…I don’t know how you’ve survived for this long without going mad”

Astra looked up at her sharply, smirking darkly

“Who says I haven’t already gone mad?” she wondered…


	8. Ambush and Agreements

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter EIGHT! Enjoy :=)

******

“We can’t stay here” Alex announced as night fell

“What do you mean?” Astra asked

“Us,” Alex explained “we can’t just…stay here on this island, living out the rest of our lives here”

“What else would you have us do?” Astra wondered “I already told you, it’s impossible to escape. Even if we survive long enough to stop this doomsday creature, we’ll still be stuck here”

“No. Nothing’s impossible” Alex proclaimed, which earned a hearty laugh from Jeremiah and a groan from Astra

“Spare me from idealists,” she muttered “all right,” she finally sighed “so, tell us, _hero_. How do you plan on getting us of this accursed place?”

“All right,” Alex took the map from Jeremiah and spread it out “we know that the temple is in the center of the island, right?” the others nodded “so, provided that we can time the island’s movements and the shifting landscape, we should be able to make it to the temple before the island moves again”

“But what about the temple itself?” Astra challenged “it changes too every time the island moves”

“If we can time it right,” Alex urged “then we might make it _in_ to the temple _before_ it moves”

“Alex,” Astra began gently “don’t you think I’ve already tried this? It can’t be done”

“But that was just you,” Alex insisted “now there are four of us, working together”

“I’ll be damned,” Astra swore “I think this could work”

“Then let’s get started” Hank rumbled as the elephant trumpeted

“We’ll take Hannibal with us” Alex nodded, as she petted the elephant

“Oh no,” Astra shook her head “no. You did _not_ just name the elephant”

“What? I can’t just keep calling her ‘the elephant’ now can I?” Alex countered

“Once you name it, it becomes a pet” Astra ground out

“And this is bad how?”

“Children,” Jeremiah coughed “can we focus, please?”

******

Alex grunted as she swung the machete down, hacking through the thick foliage

“Dad,” she called out “the next time you get stuck on an uncharted island, I am not rescuing you!”

“Noted” Jeremiah called back from somewhere behind a large fern

“Where _are_ we?” Alex wondered as she sat down on a large (after checking to ensure that it was indeed an actual rock)

“Somewhere near…the mountains,” Hank answered as he scrutinized the map “we’d better pick up the pace, it’ll be dark soon”

“Right” Alex nodded. She’d just gotten up, only for Astra to suddenly tackle her to the ground, a large arrow embedding itself in the tree next to where Alex’s head had just been moments ago

“Lizard men” Astra hissed as several large, human-sized figures emerged from the foliage

“ _Comeee_ ” one, presumably the leader, hissed out as they surrounded the four…

******

Maxwell Lord took a breath as the breathing got closer. He could feel hot breath on his face

“ _Who disturbs me?_ ” a voice rumbled out in the darkness

“I do,” Max answered “I am Maxwell Lord”

“ _What do you bring me?_ ” the voice demanded

Max straightened up

“The promise of an entire world for you to take and rule”

The breathing slowed

“ _State your terms_ ”

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you thought :=)


End file.
